AP names Peter Prengaman Southern Cone news editor

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Peter Prengaman, a cross-format journalist and news manager who has reported from a dozen countries for The Associated Press, has been named news editor for the Southern Cone countries of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The appointment was announced by Latin America Regional Editor Marjorie Miller.

"Prengaman is a talented writer and editor who has been at the forefront of the AP's cross-format work," said Miller. "We are pleased that he will be joining our strong team."

Based in Buenos Aires, Prengaman will report to Southern Cone News Director Victor Caivano. He will lead a team of Spanish and English-language reporters while working closely with videographers and photographers across the four countries.

"We are thrilled to announce Peter Prengaman's arrival," said Caivano. "His background, including deep newsroom and leadership skills, will bring a wealth of experience to the AP's Southern Cone operation."

In more than a decade at AP, Prengaman, 39, has covered major stories including the Haitian revolution in 2004, and the Arab Spring.

He joined AP in 2002 in Portland, Oregon and later served as Caribbean correspondent based in the Dominican Republic, immigration beat reporter and supervisor in Los Angeles, and most recently, the interactive and graphics editor for the Southern United States, based in Atlanta.

He is currently finishing a sabbatical in Rabat, Morocco, where he is studying advanced Arabic and teaching a journalism course.

Prengaman was part of teams that received the Polk Award and Grantham Prize for environmental reporting during the Gulf oil spill and the APME Multimedia Award for a major economic interactive project. He received an Edward R. Murrow award for video work on the Great Recession and the Atlanta Press Club Award of Excellence for video and print stories during the Haiti earthquake and trapped Chilean miners saga.

Prengaman has degrees in Spanish and English literature from Wabash College, and holds a Master's degree from Stanford University in Latin American Studies, as well as a certificate in Arabic from the University of California, Los Angeles.